A hotfix is available to add backup support for UEFI-based computers to back up to servers that are running Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials

Symptoms

Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials does not support client backup on Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)-based computers that contain a GUID partition table (GPT)-formatted disk.

This hotfix package adds backup support for UEFI-based computers that contain a GPT-formatted disk.

Resolution

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing the problem described in this article. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, go to the following Microsoft website:

Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Known issues

Issue 1

During the restore operation on a UEFI-based client computer, if the original client restore CD is used without having this hotfix installed, the client may be unable to start in EFI mode because of a Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE) issue. To work around this issue, create a USB key by using the Create Key wizard on the server that has this hotfix installed. Then, use the USB key when you restore the client.

Issue 2

When you select what to back up, the EFI partition may not be an option. However, the EFI partition will be automatically included in the backup.

Issue 3

When you perform a Bare Metal Restore operation on a UEFI-based client, the operation may fail on the last page of the restore progress. Additionally, you find the following error message in the log file:

ERROR: Failed to initialize VDS, 0x80080005

For information about how to work around this issue, go to the following Microsoft TechNet webpage:

When you perform a Bare Metal Restore operation on a UEFI-based client, the operation may fail when the client is in Advanced mode. For information about how to work around this issue, go to the following Microsoft TechNet webpage:

After this hotfix is installed, partition information is logged in the DiskPartitionScripts.txt file. This file contains the hint partition command line for the previous disk partition layout. To open the file, use the command line to open the file in Notepad.exe.

Prerequisites

You must have Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials installed on the server to install this hotfix.

Restart information

You may have to restart the server after you apply this hotfix.

Removal information

Note We do not recommend that you remove this hotfix. The removal of this hotfix could cause a compatibility issue with the new database schema, and cause the client backup service to stop responding (hang).

To remove this hotfix, follow these steps:

Remove all client computers that contain a GPT-formatted disk from the dashboard, and then select Do not archive backup.

Run the following command in an elevated command prompt window:

wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:2781270

Restart the server.

Join the client computers you removed in step 1 to the server.

Replacement information

This hotfix does not replace a previously released hotfix.

File information

The English (United States) version of this update installs files that have the attributes that are listed in the following tables. The dates and the times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The dates and the times for these files on your local computer are displayed in your local time together with your current daylight saving time (DST) bias. Additionally, the dates and the times may change when you perform certain operations on the files.